Demon in the River
by Nightcrawler's Shadow
Summary: AU. New Year's Eve brings an unexpected surprise to Katherine Pryde. Kurtty


Disclaimer: I do not own the X Men, even if it is 2010!

A/N: Happy New Year! This is something I threw together to commemorate the start of 2010.

A dark shape tromped through the ankle high snow, his two toed feet making strange imprints in the snow that would later be trampled as children ran around in snowball fights and creating snowmen.

The figure was slightly hunched over and his body was cloaked by a long coat that nearly brush the snow, a long whip like protrusion snaked from the back, ending in a softened spade like shape. His eyes were the most obvious thing about him. Two golden, glowing orbs shining out from the shadows his face was hidden in by a hood. Wisps of dark indigo hair occasionally slipped from concealment to be pushed back into place by a blue, furry, three fingered hand that was promptly stuffed back into his pockets after their job was done.

He continued on down the path that in the summer was filled with joggers and children alike. Passing by an abandoned play park, the swings creaked quietly in the cold breeze.

His breath clouded in front of him as he headed down, staying away from the street lights as he moved like a shadow himself.

The young man yawned, fangs being revealed for several seconds before he closed his mouth again. He was walking across the long bridge when he heard it, people crying and shouting.

His pointed ears perked up under his hood as he looked over in the direction the sound was coming from. Even his unsurpassed eyesight couldn't see anything, but he could hear the cries and that was enough for him.

He started towards the sound only to find a fearful sight. A woman was cradling a little girl, no older than four in her arms as they both cried. A semi large crowd, surprisingly big for the time of night, looked over the quickly rushing river, black with the cold and night, small ice flows passing by occasionally gave testament to the temperature of the water.

"Someone call an ambulance already!" someone in the crowd cried and the boy finally found out why.

A small boy, probably only a year or two older than the small girl who must've been his sister, was trapped in the middle of the river. His fingers that were quickly turning blue held onto the branch of a tree that dipped into the water as he struggled to stay afloat.

The boy stopped as the child's head dipped under the rushing water before breaking the surface again, it was so cold the boy's bangs froze to his forehead almost instantly.

The mother was sobbing as she stared at her child and the young man made a minute decision. He ran towards the water, not caring as people cried out in surprise and dove in headfirst.

The water was like ice, so cold it actually burned as he kicked hard against the current that was trying to force him away from the boy. He snagged the boy around the waist and the child clung to him just as they were both submerged by the water.

Kicking hard to get to the surface, the current carried them downstream. The cold water was seeping into his fur, chilling him to the bone, but he grabbed onto the stone edge of the bridge and held fast. Keeping hold of the small boy who was shivering like crazy, he hauled them both out of the water. They were both coughing and shivering, but that didn't matter as the boy huddled closer to him, unconsciously trying to stay warm.

The sound of footsteps came to the young man's ears and he looked up as the crowd of people approached them.

"Andy!" the mother cried, rushing forward and taking her freezing son from the young man's arms. Blankets that people had brought down from their houses were wrapped around the freezing boy before anyone took real notice of his rescuer.

A shrill scream escaped the person closest to the young man and started a domino effect as people scrambled away from the demon-like being.

His golden eyes were clouding over as hypothermia set in, but he'd been in situations similar enough to this before that he knew he had to get away.

Focusing on that one ability that had gotten him away from angry and bloodthirsty mobs before, he disappeared, leaving only a quickly disappearing cloud of black smoke.

In the same second he reappeared in a under cared for back-yard, the creaking screen door was opened by a girl.

Long chocolate brown hair was pulled back by a barrette on either side of her face revealing clear, crystal blue eyes that sparkled like polished aquamarine. She was wearing a thin coat and a pair of jeans and runners, showing she was obviously just running out to grab something from the shed or garage and her intentions were not to stay outside for long.

The young man tumbled to the ground upon reentry right in the girl's view, light from the windows of the house blanketing the snow covered yard enough for her to see him sprawled out.

A gasp passed her lips and, instead of running back into the house and calling the police, she ran forward to the prone form, kneeling beside him and not caring even as the snow soaked into her jeans, freezing her knees and legs.

She pulled the boy's head onto her lap, blinking a few times at his appearance, but more worried about the fact that he was shaking quite violently and his fur and hair were going stiff with ice.

Biting her lip, she shook him, relieved when his eyes opened.

"Hey, I'm going to help you, okay?" she whispered softly.

He nodded weakly as she helped him up, somehow supporting his weight even if she was so thin; the boy thought she might snap in half if she bent too far.

"What's your name?" she questioned, hoping to keep him awake.

"Kurt." He mumbled.

"I'm Kitty." She returned as she pulled him into the warmth of the empty house.

oOo

A few hours later, Kurt was wrapped in almost every blanket in the house and curled up on the couch in front of a blazing fire.

Kitty sipped on her hot tea and stroked back his hair from his face, cupping his cheek for a second and smiling softly when she felt his body temperature slowly returning to that of a normal person instead of a freezing one.

She'd deemed it safe for him to sleep after she'd put him in a boiling bath and given him some food. Once the shivering had gone she'd let him close his eyes and rest, now he was breathing deeply and evenly.

She sighed and set down her mug, standing and taking the tray with both of their dishes on it into the kitchen before returning to Kurt's side and sitting beside him. The couch was big and he didn't take up too much room so she was able to do so comfortably.

He stirred in his sleep and she ran a hand down his back, using her own mutant ability to phase her hand through the blankets and run her fingers through his soft fur. Never in her entire life had she been so relieved to have been found by the Professor. If she'd found Kurt _before_ she'd found out she was a mutant, no doubt he'd be dead or in a prison cell of some kind.

~_Wonder where he came from? ~_ She mused, taking her hand from the blankets to stroke gently right behind his ear. She giggled as he twitched slightly, apparently he was ticklish there.

Running her fingers through his hair again she wondered at the luck she was having. Her parents were at a New Year's party that she found no interest in, and if she'd found Kurt even a few minutes later, he might've already frozen to death.

She sighed softly and tugged the blankets up to better cover him before lying on her side and tugging an extra blanket over her as she watched the fire.

When Kurt woke up, he was warm and comfortable. What felt like a million blankets were cocooned around him as he opened his eyes to see a comfortably furnished living room, the furniture circling the main center piece of the room that was the fireplace.

He blinked a few times before sitting up, keeping the blankets around his shoulders. The cold that had previously invaded his body was now gone, but he was also left with the feeling of confusion over where he was. He could barely remember anything, except the face of what he had thought was an angel taking him to heaven.

Looking to his side, he saw his 'angel'. The teenage girl's chocolate hair spilled over her face and he carefully pushed it away to reveal her gentle features. She wasn't the type of girl you'd see on a magazine cover or in a movie. She was lovely, of course, but she wasn't Hollywood gorgeous. Her eyes were closed, but Kurt could remember their exact shade, they were breathtaking, he knew for certain. Her heart shaped face was relaxed as she slept, curled into a small ball under a blanket, her petite shape making her look very fragile, like a porcelain doll that would shatter if dropped.

He felt a small smile come to his face and took his hand away as the girl stirred.

She opened her eyes and blinked a few times before focusing on him and smiling as she sat up.

"Good to see you're feeling better." She greeted.

He nodded, smiling, "Thank you for helping me."

She shrugged and stood from the couch, "Don't mention it."

He stood with her before broaching a question, "Forgive me, but I can't seem to recall your name."

"Kitty, short for Katherine. And you're Kurt, right?"

He nodded again "Kurt Vagner, pleasure to meet you Keety." He held out his hand and she shook it with a slight giggle.

"I didn't know people talked like that anymore." She replied.

He shrugged, "Old style upbringing."

They talked for a few more hours –Kitty explained that she was a mutant along with the Xavier Institute. Something Kurt had shown interest in- by the time Kitty noticed what time it was the clock was counting down the last five minutes to midnight.

She smiled at Kurt, getting past his appearance had been surprisingly easy and she'd found he was actually an incredibly kind person. He was also very sweet and funny.

~_Sheesh Kitty, you just met him. ~_

Kurt gave her a slight grin, "You can tell me to leave at any time, Keety. I don't mind in the least."

Kitty appeared shocked, her mouth made a small "O" before she gave him a sharp glare, "I will do no such thing Kurt Vagner! I'm not about to kick you out in the cold."

Kurt winced and withered under her glare and she softened, reaching over she sighed and stroked his cheek making him sigh softly and his eyes to flutter closed.

"Don't think I'm going to kick you out Kurt."

He opened his eyes and smiled at her, "Very vell Katzchen, I von't think such things again."

She nodded even though she started blushing slightly, "Good."

They sat in silence for a few seconds before Kurt noticed the time.

"Huh, I almost forgot it vas New Years."

Kitty nodded and they watched the clock in silence as it started to count down to 2010. Kitty looked at Kurt out of the side of her eye and a thought flitted through her mind before she pushed it away. It was a bad idea. What would he think of her?

Still…

She picked up the remote and switched on the TV, quickly finding the newscast from Times Square in New York. As the countdown began she looked at Kurt again.

"_10!"_

Maybe she could.

"_9!"_

She could easily explain it if he got mad.

"_8!"_

It wasn't like she had anything to lose.

"_7!"_

But what would he think?

"_6!"_

He was one of the first people she'd found she was truly comfortable around since she discovered she was a mutant.

"_5!"_

Did she really want it that bad?

"_4!"_

She was slightly embarrassed to admit that _yes_ she did.

"_3!"_

There was only one thing left to do.

"_2!"_

She quickly made her decision.

"_1!"_

The ball dropped.

"_Happy New Year!"_ resonated from the TV and Kitty turned to Kurt only to have his lips cover hers. Her eyes widened before she kissed him back energetically.

_~Well that solves that problem. ~_

The cheers from the television were ignored as they happily continued kissing. It was only when the need for air appeared that they broke apart. Kitty was blushing furiously and Kurt knew if it weren't for the fur he would be too.

She smiled, "You beat me to it."

He blinked a few times before smiling goofily.

"So, you think there's a place for me at this Institute?"

Kitty giggled and wound her arms around his neck, "I'm sure the Professor won't mind my boyfriend joining us."

If it was at all possible Kurt's grin widened even more and he kissed her again, the cold from earlier that evening having left his body completely. In fact the very memory of earlier seemed far off.

But he was more than happy about what the repercussions of his actions were.

It wasn't every day the angel that saves you ends up your girlfriend.

oOo

A/N: So, happy New Years, hope you have a good one!

Read, review and show some love!


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